Registry / serialization / kaitai-struct-compiler

kaitai-struct-compiler

library0.11.0jsnpmunverified

Kaitai Struct Compiler is a tool that generates parsers for binary data formats from a declarative YAML or JSON definition (KSY format). Current stable version is 0.11.0, released September 2025. It supports multiple target languages including C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, Rust, and Go. The compiler is part of the Kaitai Struct ecosystem, which provides a language-agnostic way to describe binary formats and then compile those descriptions into efficient, reusable parsers in various programming languages. Unlike hand-written parsers, Kaitai Struct ensures consistency across languages and reduces maintenance overhead. The compiler is distributed as a standalone JAR file, available via releases on GitHub.

serialization data

npm install kaitai-struct-compiler

github ↗package ↗homepage ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · KAITAI-STRUCT-COMP

kaitai-struct-compiler

serializationjavascriptv0.11.0

harness data pending

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

No compatibility data collected yet for this library.

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

KaitaiStructCompiler

✓ npm install kaitai-struct-compiler

✗ npm install kaitai-struct-compiler --global

The compiler is a command-line tool, not a library. It is installed globally via npm for convenience.

compile

✓ kaitai-struct-compiler -t javascript myformat.ksy

✗ kaitai-struct-compiler --target=javascript myformat.ksy

Use -t for target language, not --target. The short flag is -t.

BinaryParser

✓ import KaitaiStream from 'kaitai-struct/KaitaiStream';

✗ import { KaitaiStream } from 'kaitai-struct';

KaitaiStream is a subclass exported from the npm package 'kaitai-struct' (the runtime library). The compiler generates code that uses this stream class.

Demonstrates installing the compiler, compiling a KSY file to JavaScript, and using the generated parser with the kaitai-struct runtime.

// First, install the compiler globally npm install kaitai-struct-compiler -g // Create a simple KSY file example.ksy // (YAML format describing a binary format) kaitai-struct-compiler -t javascript example.ksy // The compiler outputs example.js, which can be used with the runtime: npm install kaitai-struct // In Node.js: const KaitaiStream = require('kaitai-struct/KaitaiStream'); const Example = require('./example.js'); const buf = Buffer.from(...); // your binary data const stream = new KaitaiStream(buf); const parsed = new Example(stream); console.log(parsed);

kaitai-struct-compiler --version

Debug

Known issues

breakingv0.9 changed the default target language from Java to JavaScript.

fix

Explicitly specify -t java if you previously relied on the default.

affects: >=0.9

deprecatedThe --help flag outputs usage information; long-form options like --target are deprecated since v0.10.

fix

Use short flags (-t, -o) instead of long options.

affects: >=0.10

gotchaCompiler requires Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 8 or later to run.

fix

Install JRE 8+ and ensure java is in PATH.

affects: all

gotchaThe npm package 'kaitai-struct-compiler' is a wrapper that downloads the JAR; it does not work offline.

fix

Download the JAR directly from GitHub releases if offline.

affects: all

breakingIn v0.10, the runtime package 'kaitai-struct' changed its import path for KaitaiStream.

fix

Use require('kaitai-struct/KaitaiStream') instead of require('kaitai-struct').

affects: >=0.10

breakingv0.11 removed support for the --ksc-exception flag (no longer needed).

fix

Remove the flag from your compilation commands.

affects: >=0.11

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Error: Cannot find module 'kaitai-struct/KaitaiStream'

The runtime package 'kaitai-struct' is not installed or version mismatch.

fix

Run 'npm install kaitai-struct' to install the runtime.

Error: Could not find or load main class io.kaitai.struct.Main

Java is not installed or the JAR file is missing.

fix

Install JRE 8+ and ensure the kaitai-struct-compiler JAR is in the expected location.

kaitai-struct-compiler: command not found

The global npm installation path is not in PATH.

fix

Add npm global bin directory to PATH or reinstall with -g.

Upgrade

Version history

0.11.0latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

2 hits · last 30 days

node

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/kaitai-io/kaitai_struct_compiler ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/kaitai-struct-compiler ↗

homepagehttps://kaitai.io ↗